Seethakka says forest officials deliberately holding back files

At the meeting, the PRRD Minister D Anasuya charged that the forest department officials were keeping the road works proposal files pending for a long time

Hyderabad: In a remark that is likely to stoke a controversy, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D Anasuya said forest officials were deliberately holding back files and delaying permissions for taking up different works. The Minister along with Forest Minister Konda Surekha held a meeting with forest, PRRD, R&B officials here on Saturday to review the progress of different works in erstwhile Warangal and Adilabad districts.

At the meeting, the PRRD Minister charged that the forest department officials were keeping the road works proposal files pending for a long time. Citing forest rules and other regulations, common people, especially villagers should not be subjected to inconvenience, she said. “Checkposts, which are supposed to be established on the forest boundaries, are being set up in villages. This is causing lot of inconvenience to villagers,” D Anasuya said.

Due to the delay in processing the files, development was taking a back seat. Forest officials should consider the requirements of villagers and cooperate with other line department in executing different works, the Minister stated. “In the absence of proper roads even ambulances are not able to reach villages during emergency. Forest officials should work on humanitarian grounds,” D Anasuya stressed.

Tribals were not being permitted to collect fruits and certain species leaves for their livelihood. Officials should work well within the rules and ensure that development was not hampered in the name of forest protection, she directed.